This Day in History: 1923-07-21
Bergen County’s first Ku Klux Klan meeting was held in Paramus. 652 candidates were initiated into membership. It was held on a farm on East Ridgewood Ave. near the County Farm. Over 2,000 persons were present including 200 women, presumably members of the Camelias, the women’s auxiliary of the Klan. The owners of the farm were paid $3.00 rent and had been told that it was to be used for a Sunday School picnic. 52 candidates came from Pompton Lake alone, with others from Hackensack, Carlsdad, and other Bergen County towns, and Essex and Hudson Counties. The ceremony lasted about an hour, culminating with the taking of the oath by the candidates and the burning of a 50′ cross, illuminated by the headlights of an estimated 267 automobiles. Non members were kept away. (Bristow)